


We're Safe

by SerialKillerQueen



Series: Finding what you need [12]
Category: Original Work
Genre: (minor mention of romance), Character Study, Charlie is a good boy, Charlie is not naive, Epilogue, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Introspection, Multi, Other, Post-Apocalypse, Recovery, Romance, Rose and James are together now, Scent Marking, do not copy to another site, time skip, unbeta'd we die like mne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28797504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerialKillerQueen/pseuds/SerialKillerQueen
Summary: Charlie thinks on the events of the past year.
Relationships: Original Character & Original Character, Original Character(s) & Original Character(s), Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Finding what you need [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067354
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	We're Safe

**Author's Note:**

> (Mal is Sadako's adopted son, he's about 16 at this point. He is in the mycast and has a bio but he hasn't come up directly so I thought I'd mention him).  
> Check the mycast for faceclaim references!  
> https://www.mycast.io/stories/finding-what-you-need  
> (Go to mycast to see their faceclaims and go here to see their bios!)  
> https://icecreamraven.tumblr.com/bios

Charlie paused as Mal stopped mid walk to rub his cheek against his own, scenting him, then moved on without saying anything.

It was still startling when any of the Brights did that, engaged in what was normal behavior for a colony with him or James.

(It’s not like they would know either way).

It had initially startled him (okay...it had frightened him…) and James had indicated he didn’t want to be grabbed at, with his teeth bared. Ana had been clear to everyone to let him initiate any touches.

(They didn’t _know,_ exactly, but he was sure Ana and Sadako had figured it out. Cheryl and Rose too. What had happened to James).

Speaking of…

He found James at the gate, he’d been on guard duty the last month, officially placed into the rotation, and he spotted the hint of red that indicated Rose was up on the tower with him, maybe bringing him food.

When he climbed up there he wasn’t surprised to see Rose leaning against James slightly (he was a little bit wigged out, but not surprised).

Rose had been one of the only ones to reach James, the one who just kept trying. Her and Cheryl (who tried by simply being near James and refusing to _not_ be near James no matter how foul his mood was) and Bellamy, had been some of the biggest supports. 

And the thing was, he knew James thought he was totally naive, maybe they all did. But he wasn’t.

He’d heard James screaming that night, from his hiding place, and deep down he knew. 

What he didn’t know was what to do about it. So he just stayed quiet, when James didn’t talk he wouldn’t talk, when James woke up screaming he made sure he was perfectly still.

He wished he knew how to help, other than to be small and still and quiet. To try to be less of a burden. But he didn’t.

(One day, a long time from now, Cassie will pull him aside and tell him he was just a kid, an eleven year old boy, that James was 13, that neither of them knew how to process what had happened. That they both did the best they could).

He greets them both, then climbs back down with Rose following him, he always checks in with James before he does his own job. (Helping Sadako in the med bay was one of the things he looked forward to the most every day, he was glad Ana assigned it).

He sorts supplies, helps with the minor injuries when he can, goes to eat lunch with Bellamy and Tommy, checks back in with James, goes back to the med bay, then finally goes to bed.

(He’d never known how calming a routine was. But he was glad he did now).

If you asked Charlie a year ago if he thought they’d be safe with a Bright colony, his answer wouldn’t have been yes. It wouldn’t have been no, but it wouldn’t have been yes. 

(He was just willing to take that chance, to trust Bellamy, more than risk being in the wilderness at night. He never wanted that to happen ever again. He wanted his brother to be _safe_ ).

But it turned out he and James were wrong.

This is a good place.

And they’re safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Well guys, we're here. I feel kinda sad to be wrapping this verse up honestly. I really hope it didn't get too saccharine or confusing. Charlie never really got his own fic, so this ended up being his character fic and the epilogue. I tried hard to keep it grounded. (Also Bellamy and Tommy's relationship is intentionally ambiguous, they could be in a romance, or queer-platonic partners, or simply friends. Up to you. Also Charlie refers to James as his brother, I remind that that is by bond, biologically they're cousins).  
> This verse is my first original work and it meant the world to me. Thank you for coming on this journey with me <3


End file.
